Racquel Chevremont has filed a $10 million lawsuit against her former fiancée, Mickalene Thomas, accusing the mixed media artist of sexual harassment, theft, and more.
Five years after their 2020 breakup, the 54-year-old Real Housewives of New York City star has alleged in court documents that Mickalene, 54, sexually harassed her, created a “hostile” and “abusive” work environment, and stole millions of dollars from her as they continued to work together post-split.
According to an August 18 report from The Independent, Racquel believes Mickalene committed “breach of contract, unjust enrichment, retaliation, and violations of state and local human rights laws,” and she wants her held accountable for “redress for years of exploitation, nonpayment[,] and unlawful conduct.”
In a motion filed in New York State Supreme Court on August 8, Racquel claimed Mickalene “illegally diverted significant funds and business opportunities from her and Ms. Chevremont’s jointly-owned entity” to her company, even though she was entitled to 20 percent of the products she contributed to.
“From 2012 to 2022, Ms. Chevremont, who is also Ms. Thomas’ former fiancée, contributed immeasurably to Ms. Thomas’ artistic and commercial success, acting as a strategic advisor, and liaison to galleries, collectors, and institutions,” her filing stated. “Despite these work-related contributions, Ms. Chevremont was paid improperly for more than a decade, both as an employee and under a written agreement effective January 1, 2021, as well as for compensation prior to 2021 and for multimillion-dollar deals she negotiated on Ms. Thomas’ behalf.”
“In addition to diverting funds and not properly compensating Ms. Chevremont, Ms. Thomas also subjected Ms. Chevremont to a hostile and abusive work environment as well as quid pro quo harassment,” the filing continued.
Following their split, the court documents explained, Mickalene “repeatedly and improperly pressured Ms. Chevremont to resume their romantic relationship, and ultimately terminated Ms. Chevremont’s employment, in violation of New York State and New York City Human Rights Laws, when she made it clear that this would never happen.”
As a result of her ex’s reported crimes, Racquel, who joined RHONY in 2024, wants a court to award her “not less than” $10 million, plus interest, attorneys’ fees, and court costs.
During their romance, which began in 2002, Racquel and Mickalene referred to themselves as “Deux Femmes Noires,” and they prioritized the showcasing of Black and LGBT artists.
Mickalene’s work has been featured at The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), Washington, D.C.’s National Portrait, and in Jay-Z’s offices, and one of her renderings, which featured Racquel, was sold for more than $1.8 million.
Mickalene has under three weeks to respond.
